


The Best You'll Never Have

by GrumpySpaceKitten



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demon Dean Winchester, Denial, Depression, Fallen Angel Castiel, Fallen Angel Gabriel, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gay Sex, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, Multi, On Hiatus, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Porn With Plot, Post-Coital Cuddling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:09:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpySpaceKitten/pseuds/GrumpySpaceKitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Sam had to find out – which part of him hadn't wanted to – this way definitely wasn't on his bucket list of ways to find out. Hell, if he was going to be real honest, he hoped he would never have to face this day at all. Ever. He had just gotten out of that funk and this was just freaking unnecessary, especially now with all the crap he had to put up with now like Dean being a demon and Cas almost fully human</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If Sam had to find out – which part of him hadn't wanted to – this way definitely wasn't on his bucket list of ways to find out. Hell, if he was going to be real honest, he hoped he would never have to face this day at all. Ever. He had just gotten out of that funk and this was just freaking unnecessary, especially now with all the crap he had to put up with now like Dean being a demon and Cas almost fully human.

 

Coming out of his room that morning had been hard enough, due to the thick layer of Neosporin, gauze, and bandages across his back from the werewolf hunt the previous night. He'd only come out to grab the strongest pain killer he could find then sleep for at least a million years, if not more.

 

Seeing Gabriel passed out on the bunker couch, right arm hanging off the edge, left leg hooked over the back? That hadn't been planned and it conflicted Sam more than anything. Was he suppose to run up and hug Gabriel until his eyes bugged out or punch the snot out of him until the place was painted red?

 

Oh, and you want to add insult to injury? The archangel was wearing only a tight pair of black boxers and a white undershirt. That was real nice.

 

Sam breathed the Trickster's name. He was here. He was really here. Gabriel made a little noise in his sleep and pulled the arm hanging off the couch up and under his pillow. The hunter just watched for a moment. _Gabriel is here_.

 

Finally Sam made up his mind. He marched over to the couch and punched Gabriel's jaw hard. The Trickster woke up with a jerk, his hand cradling his already reddening cheek. “Hey, kiddo!” He sounded much cheerier than one would think after being so rudely awoken.

 

“Don't.” Sam growled. “Don't think you can just flash your little grin and everything will be alright. You were gone for six years, Gabriel.”

 

“Aww, you missed me!” Gabriel cooed as he sat up, covering a yawn behind his hand. “I knew you liked Tuesdays.”

 

Sam picked him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “I know you can be serious, Gabriel. This is one of the times where you better be.”

 

The smile dropped off Gabriel's face. “Listen, Samsquatch, I know these past few years haven't been easy for you-” Sam gave a loud snort; “-But even I don't know how I'm back here. Now if you'd just so kindly put me down and let me sleep for a little while, we can figure this out later.”

 

Sam studied his face for a moment longer, taking in all his features. He couldn't lie and say he didn't miss Gabriel. He did. He missed everything about the archangel, from the twinkle in his eyes – probably from too much sugar – to the little wrinkles around his mouth from laughing and smiling as much as he did.

 

After reading into his visage more and deciding he wasn't lying, Sam set his feet back on the ground. “Fine.” He grabbed the Trickster by the collar and hauled him to his room, locking the door behind him. “But you're staying here. I want to talk to you alone before you see Dean.”

 

Gabriel nodded wordlessly and curled up in Sam's bed, falling asleep instantly.

 

Sam just watched him. Holy crap. Gabriel was _back_. He had a little bit of Gabriel's saliva on his knuckles from punching him and he'd smelt that vanilla-y scent that always came with him. This wasn't just his imagination showing him something he wanted to see to help him get through the pain _. Gabriel is here._ The phrase repeated over and over in his head and yet he still couldn't believe it.

 

After everything with the pagan gods was over, Sam went back there. Gabriel's body had still been lying on the floor, triplet wings scorched into the wood.

 

So how was this possible?

 

The logical part of him told him to get on the research stat. The other part – the part Sam didn't like to give a name to, though he knew what it was – told him to to stay. Enjoy this. He'd been so heartbroken that Gabriel was gone. Sure, repetitive Tuesdays, genital herpes commercials, and every other thing Gabe had done to him had been annoying, but if Sam had to choose between him being obnoxious and him being dead, he knew he would pick the first in a heartbeat.

 

Gabriel had a charm to him that Sam missed in his life. Like Dean had said they first time they met, he had style. Maybe a bit twisted at times, but style.

 

Sam sighed and leaned back against the door, crossing his arms over his chest. He was back to his original dilemma. Was he suppose to be happy he had Gabriel back or upset he'd left in the first place?

 

Gabriel gave a little moan in his sleep which snapped Sam out of his thinking, but then made his brain start working double time. Angels didn't need sleep. Cas had said that. So was it like food? An angel didn't actually need it to survive but they could have it if they wanted?

 

He looked over Gabriel skeptically. Was he faking because he knew Sam would step out to talk to Cas about it? The logical side of Sam didn't think so. He looked legitimately asleep. The little things, like REM, finger twitches, slightly jerky movements, were hard to fake.

 

But he'd had heaven knows how many years to perfect little things like that.

 

 _If he really wanted out, he could get out with a snap_. Sam nodded to himself in agreement. Thank you, powers of organized thinking.

 

He stepped out quietly and walked slowly to the kitchen. Now that he wasn't freaking about the archangel's return, the pain was once again at the forefront of his mind. Man, did it hurt. Of course it would, what else would you expect from getting most of the flesh on your back torn off?

 

Sam rolled his eyes at himself. He downed three painkillers with some water, making a face. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Uh, hey, Castiel, now would be a really good time for you to come down here.”

 

With the customary fluttering sound, Cas' gravelly voice rang out behind the hunter. “Yes, Sam?”

 

Sam carefully eased himself into a chair, making sure to keep his back from touching anything. “Angels don't need sleep, do they?”

 

Castiel frowned at him. “No, I'm not even sure an angel can sleep. I've never tried.”

 

He nodded thoughtfully. “And what about other angels? Can you tell when they're around?”

 

Cas tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow. “Usually, yes. Are you and Dean tracking an angel?”

 

“No, no, no.” Sam may have said it too fast and shook his head too furiously. And he barely put spaces between the words, which made the angel cock his head further. “Just, uh, hang around for a couple more hours, will you?”

 

The raven haired man nodded slowly. “If you wish. But, Sam, you seem jittery. Why?”

 

“It's nothing. Just, uh, hopped up on meds..?” Sam trailed off lamely, hoping he wouldn't dig into the situation. “I just have to go look something up real quick, okay? I, uhm,” he licked his lips. “Just stay here please.”

 

Sam hurried back to his room and shut the door quietly so as not to wake Gabriel. That was still such a foreign thing to have in his head.

 

Gabriel slept soundly for a couple more hours with Sam watching over him while researching on his laptop. Finally, the hunter could deny his protesting stomach no more. He sighed and set aside his computer, picking himself off the floor with a groan at his aching back.

 

When he went back out to the kitchen, Dean was there with a beer telling Cas about the werewolf clan they'd taken out. Sam ignored them and made himself some toast with strawberry jam. He was just about to partake of his breakfast when he heard, “Hey, Dean-O! You're still sane!”

 

Dean's head snapped away from Castiel and his eyes widened. “ _Gabriel_?” He hissed in disbelief as the archangel studied himself thoughtfully – thankfully this time Gabriel was fully dressed, or else Sam didn't know what he would have done – and nodded. “Yes, from recent studies, I think it's safe to say that that is in fact my name.”

 

Cas was not flabbergasted. In fact, he seemed like the only one who really knew how to react. He grabbed Gabriel and slammed his back against the wall. “You are not Gabriel.”

 

“I'm pretty sure I am.” He countered, obviously trying to make the words sound less weak as he gave the angel a cheeky grin.

 

“No. You're not.” Cas growled firmly, eyes analyzing the suppose archangel. “You cannot be Gabriel. You have no Grace.”

 

“That means a lot coming from you.” Gabriel managed to joke before his happy facade dropped. “But you're right. I don't have Grace. I-” he struggled with the words for a moment, voice breaking. “I'm not an angel any more.”

 

“Cas, let him go.” Dean commanded, tugging at the back of Castiel's trench coat then looking pointedly at Gabriel when the raven-haired man released him. “What do you mean you're not an angel any more? No, further back. How are you even here? Lucifer _killed_ you.”

 

Gabriel looked grimly at the elder Winchester. “He did. Well, practically did. He killed my Grace but someone still wants me in their cards. So my Grace and freedom and entire reason for living is dead, but my consciousness is trapped inside this stupid mortal host. Do you know what that's like?” he asked, his voice once again shattering as he struggled to rein in his emotions. “I used to fly. I used to _sing_. My voice rang everywhere. And now – now I can't. I can't do a thing for myself any more. Now I'm imprisoned here. Now I have nothing left.” He finished in a quiet voice and looked at the floor, clenching his teeth to keep from crying.

 

Sam couldn't imagine that type of freedom, that utter independence. Let alone having it all taken away and left with nothing. He was amazed Gabriel could even muster a tiny smile, let alone the huge grin that had painted his face earlier.

 

“Enough chatter.” Gabriel beamed as he looked up, all signs of depression gone. “I, for the first time in my life, am starving. What have you in the way of sweet breakfasts?”

 

“You know you can actually get sick now from having too much sugar, right?” Sam said, being the practical thinker he is.

 

Gabe's grin slid off. “You humans can get sick from too much sugar? You guys have craphole lives!”

 

“You're telling us.” Dean grumbled as he got up and grabbed another beer, taking a big drink of it after twisting off the cap.

 

The ex-angel sighed and snapped, then lowered his hand slowly. “Right, gotta do it all manually...” He mumbled. Dean seemingly took pity on him. He went to the pantry, pulled out a jar, and shoved it in his hands. “Here. You'll like this.”

 

Gabriel looked at it curiously. “Nutella?” He asked slowly, carefully pronouncing the name.

 

Sam snorted and grinned. “Oh, yeah, you'll like that. They claim it's a 'hazelnut spread' but we all know it's just pure chocolate.”

 

Gabriel's face split into a large grin. “I can dig that.”

 

Sam grabbed and spoon and passed it to him. “Enjoy.” Dean was about to protest but Sam hushed him with a glare.

 

The archangel stuck the spoon in the jar then in his mouth and his eyes widened. “Holy crap... Why did no one tell me about this before?!” He got another hearty glob of chocolate stuff on his spoon and stuck it in his mouth, making a moan in the back of his throat. “This is freaking heaven on a spoon!”

 

After a couple more spoonfuls, he looked up at Sam. “Alright, Sammich, we need to talk about your taste in music. I mean, _Wicked_? Really? Well, that's actually not a bad musical. But _Hairspray_? Couldn't you have chosen a better one?”

 

Dean choked as he took a sip of his beer. “That’s why you never let me touch your iPod?” he coughed, mainly because he was laughing at the same time he was trying to get the liquid out of his lungs. “Because you listen to _show tunes_?”

 

Sam turned a vibrant shade of red and looked at the floor. “Okay, yes. I like musicals.” he finally admitted. “But at least I don't listen to the same five frigging albums over and over again!”

 

“Hey, don't turn this on me.” Dean smirked. “So are you telling me you're going to be performing in _Newsies_ soon with Christian Bale?”

 

“So, Dean, I found a case with a possible demonic possession. Care to look into that?” Sam said quickly for a topic change. Because, yes, he did happen to know all the _Newsies_ songs...

 

The elder brother snorted, “If you're talking about mine, it's not a case.”

 

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. “It's in Wyoming. Obviously I can't go. Why don't you take Cas and check it out? He's seemed bored lately.”

 

“Oh, I get it. You want us out of the bunker. Okie dokie then. Just give us a call when you're all done.” He winked and left to get Castiel

 

In fifteen minutes or so, the Impala was packed and the hunter and angel were off, leaving the other hunter and angel – well ex-angel – at the bunker.

 

Sam sighed and looked at Gabriel, who had grabbed another jar of Nutella and was eating it spoonful after spoonful, humming happily.

 

“Okay, I know you said it already but,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How are you even here? It was _six years_ , Gabriel. Why wait until now to come to us?”

 

“Fantastic question, Gigantor!” Gabriel grinned as he licked chocolate goo off his utensil. “I was actually in a coma for most of it. Woke up in a hospital three weeks ago, managed to get myself released, found out I had no Grace-” his voice faltered before he cleared his throat and continued. “I freaked out for a little bit. I seriously just did nothing for half a week. Just laid in the grass and hoped I'd die. After a while I got sick of it and decided to find you two muttonheads.” He chuckled softly. “You two are tricky buggers to find, but I finally managed to pay off the right people and intimidate the others and now I'm here.” He smiled with a false innocence at Sam.

 

Sam wet his lips before chewing on his bottom one in thought. “There has to be some way we can restore your Grace...”

 

Gabriel's veneer once again disappeared and he shook his head, despair welling up in his eyes. “Please don't get my hopes up, Sam. My powers – my freedom, my world, my _life_ – is gone. I think I've accepted it. Besides, you've been trying to fill up Cas' dwindling well for sometime now. How well has that gone so far, huh? You two have _nothing_ , so _please_ don't say there might be something. Don't let me wish for something that isn't there.”

 

Sam's heart broke at the utter acceptance in the archangel's eyes. He had accepted that he would keep living without life and said “okay” to it. He would go through the motions, just an empty shell; barely a fraction of what he used to be. How could he? Sam couldn't. He couldn't live knowing Gabriel was unhappy, and despite the grin he put on his face it was obvious he was. The complete emptiness in his eyes proved that. He _would_ find something – he'd sell his soul if he had to – so Gabriel could have his Grace back. He needed it. Just like Sam needed him to be happy.

 

 _Careful there._ Something inside him growled. _Those thoughts are borderline love. You know attachment never works for you._

_Oh, shut up._ He snapped back. Gabriel was his friend, there was nothing wrong with trying to ease his unmitigated suffering. Besides, he had every reason to hate Gabriel for what he'd put the hunter through. Sam was just too nice to return the “favor”.

 

Gabriel breathing out a curse was what drew Sam back out of his thoughts. “Come here, you're weeping all over the place.”

 

Sam frowned. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Your back.” Gabriel pointed with his chin. That's when Sam realized he wasn't wearing a shirt and blushed a little. “Come here.” The archangel commanded again as he grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him to the couch. He made Sam lie down on his stomach before he took off the bandages. “Jeez, what did you do?” He gasped when he saw the deep claw marks all over his back. “I didn't see you as the BDSM type of person.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes, tucking his hands under his chin. “Dean and I had a Were hunt. The thing got closer than I should've let it and this is what I got to teach me a lesson.”

 

Gabriel nodded knowingly, which kind of made Sam wonder what scars the archangel may have and why. “You hang here.” He commanded as he went back to the kitchen.

 

The hunter lay there for what seemed like eternity. Gabriel was certainly taking his sweet time doing who knows what. When he did return, Sam had started to doze lightly, the night of barely any sleep setting in.

 

He jumped when he felt a cool, cream covered finger rub between his shoulder blades. “Shh.” Gabriel whispered, rubbing more over his back.

 

Surprisingly enough, the effects set in almost immediately: the paste cooled his overheated skin while bringing the pain down to a much more bearable throb and letting the hunter just focus on the gentle hands caressing his skin while he tried hard not to purr at the relief.

 

Far too soon Gabriel got up off his knees to go wash his hands, leaving Sam on the couch.

 

Normally the hunter wouldn't have paid attention to the silence that followed thereafter, but something about it was unnerving. Maybe it was because Gabe never seemed the strong and silent type whenever they'd met or maybe just pure instinct, but he knew something was off.

 

It took nearly all his willpower to get up and provoke more pain from his wounds – thankfully there wasn't much – and go to the kitchen. The quiet suddenly made sense as he walked in and saw the ex-angel curled up on the floor, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

 

Sam knelt next to him with a frown. He started to rub circles into Gabriel's spine and before he knew it he had the archangel in his lap, rocking him while the smaller man cried into his chest. Sam was flat out honored at how much trust Gabriel put in him. First he had slept with Sam over him – something the hunter never did with strangers. Sleep was too vulnerable a state – now he was once again caught in an open condition. But he didn't seem worried about that at all. Somehow he knew Sam wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't rib him, wouldn't tell him to man up and get over it. He trusted the big goofball moose and that warmed Sam's heart.

 

Funny thing there? Sam had that exact same confidence in the archangel in his arms, despite everything he'd put him through. He had a faith in him that almost surpassed the certainty he had in his older brother.

 

Except with Gabriel he had no idea where it came from. With Dean, it was the family tie, when boiled down to the bare bone. Yes, they'd gone through a lot that had only increased the assurance his elder, but it always went back to them being family. That had started it all.

 

With Gabriel, none of that was there. He had forced Sam to root through chomped on remains, watch his aforementioned brother die over and over and over again, made him hurt in an unspeakable place on a Japanese game show, caused him the most embarrassment and discomfort in his life, then most of all _died_. Died to save _him_. He wasn't worth that, for Pete's sake!

 

So why had he done it? And why did Sam trust him so fully in spite of it all?

 

Sam shook his head, instead focusing on the bawling archangel. “Shh... It's okay. Just let it out.” he whispered. And Gabriel did. He sobbed out everything in him until he was just a quivering, snot-covered mess left in the hunter's arms.

 

All too soon, Gabriel pushed his way shakily away from Sam and got up to wash his face, still whimpering and sniffling quietly despite all his best efforts to keep it in.

 

The youngest Winchester watched him forlornly from his spot on the cool laminate floor. There was really nothing more he could do. Why did this simple statement of fact in his head cause him so much physical pain? “Are you going to be okay?” he asked in a soft, timid voice.

 

Gabriel gave a long sigh and gripped the edge of the counter, facing away from him to look out the window. “I don’t know.” he finally admitted in a whisper. “Honestly, I can’t even remember what ‘okay’ is any more.”

 

“We’ll fix this, Gabe. We will.” he promised quietly. The archangel looked over his shoulder, seemingly a little surprised by the shortening of his name but he didn’t protest it.

 

“Thanks, Sam.” he finally whispered. Sam nodded but a helpless sigh escaped his lips when Gabriel unconsciously touched where the base of his wings would have been.

 

 

* * *

 

The day from thereon went fine at worst. Thankfully it was easy enough to get Gabriel out of his funk - at least temporarily - all Sam had to do was wave a sucker in front of his face. After that, the ex-angel offered to show Sam how to bake. And so they did. By time the moon was high in the sky, the kitchen was packed full of pies - Dean would certainly love them when he came home - various kinds of strudels, a few trays of baklava, assorted cakes, cream horns, a kind of Turkish treat called boyoz, not to mention Turkish delight, and quite a few other culinary dishes that Sam couldn’t remember the name to. More importantly, the kitchen was almost entirely coated in fluffy white flour.

 

Sam sighed at the mess. “This is going to be fun.” he grumbled. Gabriel gave him a sideways glance. He almost snapped but then just grabbed a rag instead. “Don’t use water. It just gets it globby.” He started to clean up but Sam grabbed a towel and twirled it up then snapped his rear with it, eliciting a yelp and a glare from the archangel. “Ah ah, I trust you to cook - don’t trust you to clean up. You go take a shower, I’ll take care of the mess.”

 

For a moment Gabriel looked like he might protest but finally he just shrugged and went to bathe.

 

The cleaning took Sam a couple hours, and that was just for the kitchen. Like Gabriel had said, adding water to the flour just made it harder to clean so the shower was a pain. After an hour - sadly it only took fifteen minutes for the water to run cold - he went to his room to dress. He nearly grinned when one of his shirts were missing, though Gabriel was nowhere to be found in his room.

 

Actually, Sam found him in Dean’s. “I approve of the memory foam.” he said simply when the Winchester walked in. He had his feet propped up as he laid in bed watching TV. “Next thing: how come no one ever told me about _Doctor Who_?” he threw his hands up in exasperation. “It’s actually worth watching! Unlike _Downton Abbey_.”

 

"Have you even seen _Downton Abbey_?"

 

"...No."

 

Sam chuckled a little. “I can’t wait until you find _Sherlock_.”

 

The ex-angel scoffed and dismissively waved his hand. “Please, I _met_ Holmes. He was a Tower of Babel kind of disappointment, except some writer took him and glorified him beyond belief.”

 

Sam gave him the most annoyed face he could muster. “Well, gee, thanks for ruining my childhood. Wanna tell me Batman isn’t real next?”

 

“Ooh, someone’s in a comedian mood!” Gabriel grinned but his eyes stayed locked on the television. “David Tennant is an attractive man…”

 

Sam actually flushed a little. “And a _man_.”

 

That got Gabe’s attention. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to compliment people even if they were of the same sex.” His eyes flicked back to the TV and he gave The Doctor a once over. “Besides, if someone’s hot, they’re hot. Don’t really need to be too picky after that.”

 

Sam had no idea why but something inside him did a quick little fluttering jump at that. But “Okay…” was all he managed to mumble out. Eventually he cleared his throat and got everything back under control. “I guess you’re sleeping here?”

 

Gabriel nodded. “Your brother knows how to choose a good mattress and sound system. I’ll stay here until he and Cascarilla get back, then we can figure something else out.”

  
“Okay.” Sam said again with his own little nod. It took a lot of will before he could finally tear his eyes away from the ex-angel and go to his own room, careful as he laid down to not strain his injured back, sleep taking him quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

“Just because Dean’s gone doesn’t mean you have to take over for him!” Sam called the next morning when Gabriel blared _Friday_ at six A.M., singing along loudly.

 

“You don’t control my life!” the archangel shouted back, the smirk on his face evident by his tone.

 

Sam groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. “You could at least play something _good_!”

 

“What, like Taylor Swift? Maybe some _Glee_?”

 

“Shut up!”

 

Sam grinned. He hadn’t had morning banter for a while; Dean didn’t really say much more in the morning besides, “Damn it, we’re out of whiskey!” Useless as it may be, it was nice to have someone to go back and forth with again.

 

Eventually Sam did get out of bed, mainly just to turn off the Justin Bieber song Gabriel decided to play loudly next, then figured he was up already and went to shower. The day from thereon consisted of research. Sam was still determined to find a way to bring back Gabe’s Grace. It had to be possible. He was alive, wasn’t he? So maybe he had an Anna situation: his Grace was hanging around somewhere and all they had to do was find it then all would be well.

 

 

* * *

 

“This is pointless!” Gabriel shouted as he slammed his book closed, the plate on the table from lunch wobbling from the force of it. “We’re not getting _anywhere_! And you know why? Because there’s no where _to_ get!”

 

Samuel sighed and shut his own tome softer. “Don’t say that. There’s gotta be a way.”

 

“Well there isn’t!” the ex-angel got up to pace angrily. “Accept it, Sam, I’m screwed to hell and back and there’s nothing either of us can do!”

 

“If you talk like that there isn’t.” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. “Listen, I’ll go make a chocolate run if you’d like; just hang tight here, I guess?”

 

“Fine, fine, fine.” Gabriel huffed and took a heavy seat. “But you’d better get Dove. None of that waxy Hershey’s crap.”

 

Sam chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Alright. Or maybe some Godiva instead? Ooh, what about NōKA?”

 

The blonde raised his eyebrows. “Wow, didn’t think that salad-loving Sammy would know so much about chocolate.”

 

“You don’t know everything about me.” Sam chuckled with a wink, snatched up his keys, and walked out the door.

 

When he returned the chairs were missing from the study and all the tables pushed against the wall. The chair mystery was soon solved when the hunter saw the giant blanket fort constructed in the middle of the room (and Sam was ignoring that he noticed his own duvet from off his bed used to built the fort).

 

When he heard the opening of the door Gabriel stuck his head out of the fort. He gasped when he saw the large box of Godiva chocolates in Sam’s hand, crawling out to snatch them away from the moose then scrambling back into it. The other man raised an eyebrow at the action. “Not even going to share?”

 

“Get your ass in here and I might!”

 

He laughed and rolled his eyes but got down on all fours and went in. The structure was surprisingly big and roomy, not tall enough for Sam to stand in it of course but he could lay down and stretch out without touching either of the makeshift walls. “So this is what you did while I was gone?”

 

“I was bored.” Gabriel shrugged, eating a couple pieces of chocolate.

 

“So I see.” Sam chuckles.

 

After a couple minutes of just silence, while eating candies, Gabriel spoke up, “So did you know that in ancient Ireland people used to leave mince pies and bottles of Guinness as a treat for Santa Claus?”

 

The hunter frowned. “Just like to spit out random tid bits every now and again, huh?”

 

Gabriel frowned and tipped his head to the side, obviously something he’d picked up from Castiel. “I know no idea where that came from.”

 

Sam shrugged in reply. “You’ve been alive for more years than anyone would like to count; guess you just pick up odd facts.”

 

The ex-angel knit his brows together in confusion for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I’ll accept that.”

 

The night carried on with aimless banter between their devouring of the chocolate until they eventually fell asleep in the fort. The next day, they carried on with their research but once again found nothing, except that Gabriel had a wider knowledge of candy than anyone should be allowed to - though that didn’t really surprise the hunter too much - and that Sam had gone through a mild floral phase when he was fourteen. That had the archangel on the floor, tears of mirth streaming down his face.  

 

It was on the third day that Sam succumbed to cabin fever and went out for a run despite his still badly wounded back. After a quick shower to wash away the sweaty grim he started to make his way to the kitchen for a light snack, pausing when he heard a song playing faintly from the room. He frowned a little and walked in to see Gabriel sitting on the counter, two flutes of darkly colored champagne in his hands. Sam listened a bit more to the music with a deep look of confusion.

 

_L is for the way that you look at me,_

_O is for the only one I see,_

 

Sam frowned more and stepped a bit closer as the ex-angel slid off the counter and also closed the gap between them.

 

“Gabe… What’s going on?” Sam asked slowly, his befuddlement prominent in his tone.

 

Gabriel just grinned and pushed a glass into Sam’s hand, though he decided to explain when the frown didn’t lessen. “Oh, come on, Gigantor. We’ve been beating around the bush - ignoring the elephant in the room - all week. It’s tense between us. I think it’s time we address that.” he gave something between a smirk and a smile, but apparently Sam’s brain had shut down completely since he had no idea what the archangel was talking about. True, it had been a bit strained between them since their night in Gabriel’s blanket kingdom, especially when they’d woken up in each other’s arms, but there was nothing else wrong. Finally Sam managed to get out around his bewilderment, “Gabriel, what are you talking about?”

 

“Oh, Sammy….” he grinned and beckoned him closer with a crook of his finger. The hunter pressed his lips together more and leaned down even as Gabriel rose up on his toes a little to sing softly in his ear, _“V is for very, very extraordinary.”_

 

Sam immediately pulled back, heart pounding almost painfully against his ribs. “Seriously, what the hell’s going on?”

_E is for even more than anyone that you adore can_.

 

Gabriel smiled more at him. “Please, Sam, you can’t tell me all that time with your nose in a book hasn’t taught you anything. You know exactly what’s going on. Or are you really that clueless?”

 

Sam wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not for the teasing - it drew his brain out of _idiot mode_ and made it start to work again. The only problem there was he wasn’t without a clue. He knew just what Gabriel was poking at and he almost wished he’d stop. It had taken him too long to bury this he didn’t need the golden-eyed man drawing it back up again only to once again leave him alone to deal with it. “Gabriel…”

 

_“Love is all that I can give to you;_

_“Love is more than just a game for two;_

_“Two in love can make it,_

_“Take my heart and please don't break it;_

_“Love was made for me and you.”_

  


Sam didn’t know what it was that shattered in him as soon as those words were out of the archangel’s mouth, but apparently that was its breaking point. That thing in him wasn’t the only thing that broke as he dropped the delicate glass and instead took Gabriel’s face in his hands, smashing their mouths together. Gabriel’s flute soon joined his on the floor as his hands went to Sam’s waist. Sam completely ignored the spilled champagne on his feet; instead the only thing in his mind was everything pertaining to the ex-angel that was pressed flush against his own body. He smelled amazing - different from before but Sam hadn’t the time to ponder that -his scent something between the piney scent of a Christmas tree and cinnamon, and tasted even better - almost like fresh spun cotton candy from a fair. There was no holding back any more, hands tangling in hair and grabbing at each other as they tried to magnify skin contact that was already maxed out, timid tongues pushing into unfamiliar tongues that somehow just felt so _right._

 

The archangel nipped at Sam’s lower lip, earning himself a soft growl from the moose as a hand slipped under Gabriel’s shirt, the smaller man choking on something that might have been a moan then pulling back to pant softly. “Was that so hard, Samsquatch?”

 

“You’re cute and all but no one ever told you to shut your cake hole.” Sam muttered and brought the ex-angel in for another kiss, this one shorter because of their breathlessness. Thought it especially didn’t last long because Sam quickly broke from it to press light kisses along his neck.

 

“Sa-am!” Gabriel stuttered out when he stopped to suck a hickey low on his throat then resumed his previous escapade, panting between each fluttering brush of his lips, getting him an actual moan from the archangel. He was proud of himself, he had to admit. He’d made an eons old, transdimensional being trip over his own tongue.

 

“Are you kidding me? Nat King Cole? Really?” Dean scoffed as he walked in, the two jumping away from each other but both still gasping for air and flushed as they carefully avoided the shards of glass on the floor. Sam grinned and gave the ex-angel a mischievous look before calling back, “It was Gabriel!”

 

“Gabe, if you can’t listen to good music, you can’t stay here!”

 

“Shoulda heard the atrocities he likes to listen to when he wakes up!”

 

Gabriel gave him a look. “Are you trying to dig me a hole?” Sam shrugged and the angel rolled his eyes before getting a rag and helping him clean up the mess on the floor.

 

Dean came in fifteen minutes later or so. “So, you guys have fun?” he asked as he dug through the fridge and pulled out a beer.

 

“You could say that.” Sam shrugged while Dean looked with a raised brow at the still constructed blanket fort in the library. “Should I asked more?”

 

Gabriel shook his head. “Nope. Probably shouldn’t.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Remind me why you’re here other than to listen to bad music and eat all my candy?”

 

The archangel gave him a cheeky grin. “Because Sammy loves this sweet ass.”

 

Dean coughed up his beer as Sam’s face turned a bright red. “For your information, with the exception of you, everyone here is straight.”

 

The smaller man rolled his eyes. “Bitch,  please. I’ve seen the way you look at little Castiel. You’d ride that boy’s di-”

 

“My what?” Cas’ voice came from behind, giving the Winchesters a matching blush. “I heard my name. I thought perhaps you needed me.”

 

“Dean and I were just talking about how much he’d like you in his bed.” Gabriel chimed up with a broad grin when all of the hunter’s replies were just senseless splutters of words.

 

A deep frown creases the angel’s brow. “Dean, you are aware your bed is a little small for both of us, and you needn’t sleep any more.”

 

Gabriel gave a groan. “That’s not what that means, Cas. It means he wants to do you.” - a blank look from Castiel - “He wants to shag you.”

 

“What?”

 

“He wants to do the horizontal hula with you?”

 

Cas blinked at him. “How does one hula horizontally?”

 

“Wants to knock mops?”

 

“We only have one mop…”

 

“Is trying to get lucky?”

 

Cas tilted his head to the side with a furrowed brow.

 

“He’d like some hanky panky?”

 

“Are you making up words now, Gabriel?”

 

“Wants to play on all fours?”

 

“Dean isn’t fond of dogs.”

 

“He wants to hit a homerun?”

 

“He doesn’t like baseball either. He’s told me so.”

 

Gabriel flat out growled and grabbed at his hair. “Damn it, Cas, he wants to have sex with you!”

 

Castiel blinked and frowned. “Why didn’t you just say he wanted to perform intercourse with me?”

 

“I did! Like, thirty freaking times!”

 

“Well! This has been lovely!” Dean cut in with a nervous laugh. “But I’ve got things to do.”

 

Cas frowned. “Are you saying Gabriel was wrong and you would not like to…” he paused to think of one of Gabriel’s euphemisms.  “Knock mops?”

 

“You know what? I’m gonna go start looking for another case.”

 

The angel put a hand on Dean’s shoulder as he tried to walk away. “Dean…” he started but a growl and shrug to knock his hand off from the demon made him pull back, not to mention that combined with the black eyes Dean fixed on him as he snapped , “Enough!”

 

Cas pulled a good yard away from him but Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Come on, Deano-”

 

“Gabriel…” Sam cut in with a worried look but the ex-angel ignored him. “Listen, we all know you’re about as straight as your legs so why don’t you sac up and tell the guy you’ve got the hots for him.”

 

“I said _enough_!” Dean barked. “Maybe you forgot, but I certainly remember your being powerless. There’s nothing stopping me from killing you right now.”

 

For once the easy grin slid off Gabriel’s face and he leaned back an inch. He would have made a crack about the demon’s terrible breath but right now that seemed like a pretty bad idea. He felt exposed, open, vulnerable. He had no sarcastic, snarky façade to hide behind as Dean leaned in close. “I’m going to my room now. The first person to come in before tomorrow gets a knife in his eye.” he growled in a low voice then turned on his heel and marched down the hall.

 

Gabriel let everything show for a moment: fear, sadness, anxiety, anger, depression, hatred, lust. Everything. Anything he’d hidden away over the years was now bare and visible for the hunter and angel to see. But he quickly swept it under the rug, hiding it away from his friends once more. They didn’t need to know what a monster he was - a beast under the claim of an angel. “Well, who put that stick up Dean’s ass?” he muttered with a little smirk again and Sam’s jaw almost fell open. “You did, Gabe! I told you not to push!”

 

The archangel lowered his head a little. It was a small, almost imperceptible act, but still a show of submission and begging for forgiveness. Sam had gone over how to handle the new Dean and Gabriel had listened closely as he sucked on a lollipop, trying to slowly seduce the hunter before finally making everything plain on the last day. “Sorry…” he murmured to no one in particular.

 

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just leave him alone for a while. Let him cool down.”

 

“Wait, so does Dean want to have coitus with me or not?” Castiel chimed in, looking extremely confused.

 

“Leave it, Cas.” Sam grumbled and walked out.

 

“Being a human is hard.” Gabriel muttered.

 

Cas nodded. “Wait until you have to urinate.”

 

“I’ve already done that. It’s weird. Hiccups are crazy shit though.”

 

The younger nodded again with a chuckle. “But there are perks too.”

 

“Really? ‘Cause I haven’t seen any so far. They better show themselves pretty damn fast after this.” he sighed and walked to the room they had found to be his.

 

“I’ll just… wait for you all then, I guess.” Castiel whispered and took a silent seat at the table.

 

 

* * *

 

The next day Dean was in a much better mood, ergo making Sam’s pick up as well. Gabriel on the other hand locked himself away in his room as life outside went on as normal in the bunker.

 

It was nearly five in the evening before Sam sighed and went to check on the ex-angel. “Gabe?” he called, knocking on the door with the back of his knuckles, not sure if Gabriel could actually hear him over the Van Halen playing - if there was one thing Dean and Gabriel agreed on, it was music, even if the archangel _had_ played some crappy old time jazz before.

 

With no answer as expected, Sam let out another sigh and stepped in to see Gabriel sprawled across his bed, dressed in just underwear once more (which Sam may or may not have been less offended by this time) with a pretty sizeable mountain of candy wrappers on the floor. “There’s dinner.” he offered quietly, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed.

 

“Sorry I screwed up.” was all Gabriel replied with, reaching over to turn up the volume of the music.

 

Sam shrugged. “People get angry and yell but in the end you make up and everything’s okay. It’s just how family is.”

 

Gabriel pushed himself onto his elbows and looked at the hunter almost incredulously. “Maybe yours, but if something like this happened in mine everyone would be getting their blades and going at it like Sparta; though in all technicality, Sparta hadn’t even been an idea at that point.”

 

“What does it matter, Gabriel? You’re with our little mix-matched family where we get over things pretty easily.  So come on.” Sam smiled, which Gabriel returned immediately as he sat up then laid back down with a groan. “Dean was right. You can get sick from too much candy.” he almost whimpered as he clutched his stomach. “Human bodies suck.”

 

Sam chuckled a little and got up. “Hang tight, I’ll get something to help.” He walked out and returned a few minutes later with a plate of bacon and water. “The protein will help, water’s just good.”

 

Gabriel took it with a nod and slowly ate the bacon. “Thanks, Sam.” he whispered.

 

The hunter nodded while rubbing his back. “Don’t mention it.”

  
Gabriel smiled softly as he laid back, soon falling asleep thanks to Sam’s soothing motions on his back.


End file.
